Friday, November 23, 2012

What I learned from "Serena"

What I learned from "Serena"

In the course of my work, I often get ridiculed, jeered, denigrated and downright hammered, by enemies of course by enemies, but sometimes even by what I considered to be friends. When that occurs, "stoic" and "unflappable" as I haver been said to be, I would occasionally feel perturbed, flustered and unbalanced, and lose my cool, momentum and efficiency, and once or twice even get derailed from my course of action.

Well, "Serena" taught me a lesson today. "She" is the female voice in my GPS. She is tuned to sound British, but sometimes, she would pronounce certain street names in the darnedest of ways, particularly words with the letter "R". I was in Bend, Oregon, to make a speech this evening, and Shannon and I happened to be driving downtown. When we were approaching a street called "Butler Market", Serena pronounced it as "Butlerrr Marrrket", and we both laughed, and poked fun at Serena mercilessly. Serena treated our derision like water off a duck's back and proceeded with her next comment as if nothing had happened.

Later, Serena directed us to a street that was temporarily blocked, so we had to do some back-tracking, and I heard myself mock-grumbling, "Damn, Serena, you're not doing your job!" She just responded with a steady "Recalculating", and gave us an alternative route.

Were I in her place, I would have felt a tinge of annoyance, and had my performance temporarily compromised. I suppose this is part of my being human, but in terms of performance and efficiency, I have a lot to learn from a machine.

Anthony Marr, merely human

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Linda Musel, Dawn Villani, Dominique Osh and 18 others like this.

Marie Bednar :)
November 18 at 4:27pm · Like

Ingrid Meijer Yaple merely a good and conscious human :)
November 18 at 4:35pm · Like · 1

M-Christine Husk I'm happy to hear you have a Serena. I'm not so lucky. I have downright drag out fights with my GPS as we don't agree on the way to go. Her name: "the idiot in the box". : )
November 18 at 6:17pm · Like

P.j. Kielberg-Mcclenahan Instead of a GPS we have a compass. :-)
November 18 at 6:34pm · Like

Paris Harvey My "Gypsy", (I call her) says hysterical street names on this end too. Fruitvale is said like "Frew it vale". But I forgive her. We have a great relationship. I trust her completely. Thank god for Gypsy. She gets me there every time. If I am stuck in traffic and have to get off the freeway and have no idea where I am she is always very calm and tells me the alternate. Sometimes I doubt her but low and behold I suddenly find I have made it.
November 18 at 9:11pm · Like

Bonnie Lindsay Great story from one of my "favorite" humans :)
November 18 at 9:57pm · Like

Linda Musel Great story, Anthony...always a way with the words! Be well my, friend...Like the infamous artist Michangelo stated..."God puts impossible standards for mankind to reach, and therefore, mankind will always never reach the perfect state as God wants us to become...but we can only keep trying to get to the perfect state." (paraphrased from a quote from Michangleo)
November 18 at 11:22pm · Like

Lisa Marie Simms-Ferguson As always you are amazing
November 19 at 11:21am via mobile · Like

Karen Mc · Friends with Patty Golden
haha! That was awesome and brillant! I deal with talking to people all over the country daily, I'm going to have to think to myself, when I feel a tinge of annoyance coming on, "What would Serena Do"! :-)
November 19 at 11:26am · Unlike · 2

Joni Russ You blow me away as an activist...keep doing what you are doing Anthony...you are a dynamo...don't let the slugs and thugs get to you! YOU ARE BRILLIANT!
November 19 at 11:37am · Unlike · 2

Anne Orman · Friends with Paul Rockintheroses
gps,s drive me crazy,so I will stick to being merely human and use a map.
November 19 at 12:27pm · Like · 1

Sandie A. Sajner I lived in Bend Oregon for 3 years way back in 1978-1981. Give everyone a big hug for me. It sure is a "Hunter's Haven" with the National Forest being right there. Hope you find a lot of supporters and their ways are changed.
November 19 at 3:08pm · Unlike · 1

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About Anthony Marr

Anthony Marr
* has a degree in physics
* is the author of "OMNI-SCIENCE and the Human Destiny" (2003) and "Homo Sapiens SAVE YOUR EARTH" (2008)
* 1995, he cleaned up N. American Chinatowns of endangered species medicines
* 1996, he led "the highest-profile anti-trophy-hunting campaign in Canada" (Globe and Mail).
* 1997-1999, he worked in 3 tiger reserves in India.
* 1999, he founded Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE).
* 2004/2005, he conducted operations in Japan against whaling and dolphin slaughter.
* 2003-2011, completed 7 Compassion for Animals Road Expeditions (CARE tours, each covering 30-45 states over 4-7 months), and spoke at the National AR Conference every year
* 2009, he founded the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
* 2010, he won the Henry Spira Grassroots Activist Award.
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr001
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com
www.Dying-for Salvation.blogspot.com